House members voted 73-22 for the bill that would let
the corrections commissioner contract with businesses to have inmates build or
assemble their products within the prisons. The bill now goes to the governor
for his signature.

The prison system could keep up to 40 percent of the
inmate's wages to help cover incarceration costs and up to 40 percent could be
taken to help cover any restitution the inmate was ordered to pay his or her
victims.

Bill sponsor Rep. Jim McClendon, R-Springville,
described the bill as a win-win, saying it would provide funds to the state's
cash-strapped prison system while helping inmates earn money and gain
experience.

"We are going to put our prisoners to work. They
are going to be paid a reasonable wage," McClendon said.

But African-American legislators filibustered the bill
for several hours, arguing the program could take jobs from Alabama citizens and
give selected companies access to cheap workers to whom they do not have to provide benefits.

Rep. Rod Scott, D-Fairfield, said his concern was that
the legislation would give "jobs to our people who are incarcerated versus
citizens who have led decent lives, stayed out of trouble and need
employment."

The bill specifies that inmates would have to be paid the
prevailing wages for the area they're in and the type of work they perform.

McClendon said the program
is strictly voluntary and no inmate would be forced to participate.